Our Hope for New Hope

I am going to be preaching a series of sermons that I am calling, “Our Hope for New Hope.” The introductory sermon on September 27 will look at Romans 8:28. “God works together with those who love Him to bring about what is good.” How will we grow to love God more deeply and trust God to work together with us?

The first Sunday in October we will examine the story of Jesus telling his disciples not to prevent children from coming to him. He welcomed children and said, “To such as these belongs the kingdom of God.” I want us to see how we are welcoming children here at New Hope. We need to plan how are we going to serve their parents, especially those who are open to allowing our church to help them grow in God’s love and become better parents. How can we help people to have healthier families?

On Sunday October 11 we will look at Jesus’ interaction with the “rich, young ruler” who walks away from an opportunity to follow Jesus. I want us to think about what it means to be saved and how we are going to be helping people to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. How are we going to set before people the clear choice to believe in Jesus and give themselves to following Jesus?

The next Sunday we will look at what it means to serve others here at New Hope. In what ways are we already serving? How do you find your place of service in our church? How can we help those who want to serve to find their niche? What does a serving church look like in today’s world?

The final sermon in the Hope for New Hope series on October 25 will look at what it means for us to trust God to lead us into the future. What does God have in store for New Hope in the next 10 years? How can New Hope serve families with children and pass along a healthy church to them? How are we going to make an impact for God’s love in this lively, growing community of Port Orange? We will look at the future and thank God for giving us not a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

When you pray, ask God to help me prepare this series of sermons. Ask God to use this series to give us a vision of New Hope Baptist Church loving and serving with joy.

Fear and Respect

Norman Jameson is editor of the North Carolina Baptist Biblical Recorder. He recently wrote about the Christian responsibility to respect the president of the United States. His words have inspired me to write this note about our call to reject fear in favor of respect.

I don't normally talk about secular politics here at New Hope, because I don’t believe it is as important as our call to love one another and serve Christ in our everyday lives. But I am following the lead of a Baptist editor because in the past couple of weeks there has been some hateful talk about the president. We ought to reject it and teach our children to respect the president.

Can you remember the days when people used to say to a child, "You could grow up to be president?" Jameson says, “We all knew the president held the best interests of the nation at heart and that we, as school children, were important to the nation -- and that from our ranks would one day rise the person to take his place. “

The president’s speech to school children encouraged them to stay in school, set personal goals and make a difference in society. Conspiracy theorists took the simple -- and not unique, since two recent Republican presidents also addressed nationwide groups of schoolchildren -- fact that the president was going to speak directly to students to incite fears that he had sinister intentions.

This is not a time for fear mongering. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” Love is showing respect where respect is due. It casts out the fear that always leads to disrespecting and refusing to listen. Let’s teach our children to respect those who are in authority and all people, even when we disagree with them.

I have read President Obama’s whole speech given at a back-to-school event in Arlington, VA on September 8. Here are the closing words of it.

“So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.”

In those words of encouragement there is nothing to fear and plenty to respect.

Betty Myers

Betty Myers meant so much to us, because she loved this church and she loved us individually. We have our stories.

I will miss calling Betty. Her numbers are still in my cell phone. She had a distinctive answer-ritual. She would always say in a cheery voice: “Hello.” Then, when I indentified myself, “And how are you today?” With the emphasis on the “you.” She really cared how I was that day.

When I called Betty, it was usually either about someone in the hospital or about something related to deacon ministry. Betty was a wonderful deacon. Deacon is a Greek word, best translated “servant.” And Betty was that. She was forever asking, “What can I do for you?”

Betty believed she was called to live a life of service to others because of God’s love for her. God’s love is a love that flows through us to others. Betty grew in that love all along the way, and the love flowed freely. She worked hard at everything she did, but she did it out of a fullness of God’s love, not out of an emptiness that says, “Look at what I am dong. Be sure you give me credit for all my work.” No. Betty worked from the fullness of God’s love, because she was saved by the grace and love of God.

Jesus said, “I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.”

Betty placed her faith in Jesus, not passively as if she had bought a ticket to heaven and was just waiting her turn to go there. She followed him as the Way. She learned of Jesus as the Truth. She saw that what Jesus did and what he taught us is the way to Life before you die; and it is the gift of Eternal Life. In that sense, Betty is our proof of God. We don’t have any doubts that she is there in God’s presence and that we will have eternal life if we follow the Way she followed.